The costume and visuals in Jackie are beautiful, especially if you love the 60s aesthetic and fashions. As I watched the story of the former First Lady’s experience in the wake of her husband, John F. Kennedy’s assassination, I found myself feeling a little detached – both emotionally but mostly in terms of my enjoyment of the story structure. I couldn’t help but wonder about how much more I’d have enjoyed the film had it had a more traditional structure and been more than just about Jackie’s grief. My story preferences aside, Natalie Portman – of course delivered a brilliant performance and were it up to me, I’d have handed the Best Actress Academy Award to her.

I kind of see Jackie in a similar way to the way I see American Sniper (2014). By this I mean, both films as a whole are ok, but the lead actors performances are what really makes them worth watching. Back in 2014 I was completely ready to hand the best Actor Oscar to Bradley Cooper, but then I saw Eddie Redmayne’s work in The Theory Of Everything (2014)and that was that. The rightful owner absolutely got the golden statue.